How to Help
by srgeman
Summary: One shot. Its late, you see six people mugging a pokemon hybrid. You can help, or you can run away. What do you do?


How to Help How to Help

I wonder what would have happened, had I not decided to walk home that night, had I not walked by that alleyway, if I had only called a cab.

It was a Friday night, and it had begun good for me. I had a date, with a beautiful woman, who one of my friends had set me up with. I took her to dinner, and I thought the night was going good. I was funny, I was charming, and she seemed to be having a good time. Halfway through the meal, she gets up, saying she has to use the bathroom. I wait, and after twenty minutes, am informed by a waiter that she left.

Feel the love.

I felt like a loser however, and decided to leave. Calling a cab could have avoided what was to come, but I decided to sulk in my misery and walk home. It had rained earlier, so the streets were mostly empty, and the street lamps gave the sidewalks an unnatural glow to them. The air was thick with mist, and it made my clothes stick to me.

I had walked a mile, still feeling like shit, when I heard something. It sounded like yelling, and it was near, in fact, it was coming from the ally about 20 feet in front of me. I run to the side, and peak into the ally.

It was a long ally, made of four buildings, two on each side, pressed back to back. It was littered with trash, some rocks, a shopping cart, a dumpster, and what looked like a metal pipe.

But it was what was at the back that interested me. There, under a street light, were about six figures in dark hoods, all kicking at a seventh figure on the ground. I can only see their outlines, but I know they are beating up the seventh person, so I run at them.

The seventh figure is a woman, who is screaming at the top of her lungs. I run towards them, the only sound coming from me is my foot steps, and thus far, they haven't noticed me. The woman becomes more clear as I approach.

She had two red flowers coming out of the sides of her head, which was bright green. She wore a T-shirt, but no pants, instead having what looked like a skirt of long leaves. Her arms were grass green, and her hands had five fingers but with out nails. She was bleeding all over, but especially bad from a head wound. The Bellossom hybrid had her eyes closed, and was trying desperately to avoid the stomping, but to no avail. Suddenly, her eyes shot open, looking right at me.

"Help me, please help me!" She screamed, her eyes wide with fear, arm extended, hoping for me to save her. The six figures stopped stomping, and turned in my direction. The hoods blocked out their faces, save their eyes, which seemed to glow an un-earthly white. They began to approach me, evil in their eyes.

I did the only thing I could do, I turned around and ran.

I ran as fast as I could, until my legs burned, until my veins pumped cement, until I was sure that the mob was not following me. I then ran some more, until I ended up at home, although I'm not sure how I got here.

I tried desperately to block out the memory of what I saw, opting to go straight to bed, no even bothering to get out of my wet clothes. I climbed onto the covers, and collapsed, passing out in seconds, hoping for today to become a dream. But it never works that way.

The next morning crept up on me with all the subtlety of an atomic bomb. The sun on my eyes made my head feel like they had been stomping on me. I only had hazy memories of what happened yesterday, but I knew if I thought about them, they might come rushing back.

Sighing, I went into my kitchen to fix my normal breakfast, coffee and toast. Exciting, aren't I? Well, the excitement picked up when I sat down in front of the TV.

"Good morning" The news reporter said, "I'm Casey Phillips coming to you live from…" She was a tall woman with black hair, green scaled skin, yellow lines circling her eyes and meeting in a V in the center of her face. Two green and yellow spiked ridges stuck out of her hair. She actually looked pretty fucking good for a Kecleon hybrid.

"This was the seen of the crime, yesterday" She chirped, bringing me back to reality. "A young woman, Tina Bassy, was found beaten to death at 11:38 last night. Miss Bassy, a Bellossom hybrid, is only the newest victim in a string of hate crimes that have been springing up all over the city"

I choked on my toast, as they continued to blather on. It was the same alley, and the same woman. This Tina Bassy had been killed, but surely it wasn't my fault, right?

"Police reports indicate" Casey continued, "That there were eight sets of footprints found at the seen of the crime. Six are believed to belong to the attackers, and one is identified as belonging to Miss Bassy. The eighth set remains a mystery, although they are believed to belong to a possible witness, although who could stand by and do nothing is the real mystery"

I shut the TV off, about to throw up. I managed to make it to the bathroom, but not the toilet, and I vomit all over the floor. Rather then clean it up, I shut the bathroom door and go and get the vodka bottle I keep over the fridge, knowing I'll never make it through the day without booze.

As I pour a shot, the memories rush back at me, and I wonder, what would have happened if I had done something different?

"Help me, please help me!" She screamed, her eyes wide with fear, arm extended, hoping for me to save her. The six figures stopped stomping, and turned in my direction. The hoods blocked out their faces, save their eyes, which seemed to glow an un-earthly white. They began to approach me, evil in their eyes.

I knew I had to help her, she was going to die, so I ran at the nearest hood and nailed them across the jaw. The hood hit the ground, hard, but another one punched me in the stomach. I kicked them in the shin, as another nailed me in the side of the head. I flipped around to face them, and pulled my fist back, right as another two grabbed me under the shoulders, and held me tight.

As they held me, the other hoods all came over and began to beat on me, punching and kicking any exposed square of flesh. As I began to bleed from a broken nose, the two holding me dropped me on the ground. At first it seemed like sweet relief, but then they began to stomp on me.

I attempted to curl into a ball, but I couldn't mover, as they crushed my arms and my legs. I rolled on my side and they went to work on my rib cage and my skull. I prayed for death, when suddenly, I heard what sounded like a police siren, and the beating stopped momentarily. I could see headlights from the road, and I knew that he hoods were going to run. One of them took one last stomp, delivering it to my neck, before running away. I then lost consciousness.

It could have been days for all I know, before I opened my eyes again. I couldn't feel anything, nothing below my nose. I wasn't even certain I still had my lower body.

When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by the horrifying sight of a large tube in my mouth, attached to a ventilator, breathing for me. I was in a hospital bed, and sitting across from me was the Bellossom woman. She had tears in her eyes.

"I just wanted t-to thank you" She whispered through a choked voice. I blinked in response. "The doctors say your completely paralyzed from the eyes down, you can't even breath" She began to cry. "I'm sorry, I just can't" She ran out of my room, leaving me alone.

My head was propped up to look out the window, from which I could see a tree with a Taillow on it. It fluttered its wings, able to move, not trapped in a living prison. I envied it, hell I envied death right now. At least when your dead, it's the end, you're not a prisoner in your own body.

The Taillow flew away, I yearned for it to take me too. As it flew away, I wonder, what would have happened if I'd done something different?

"Help me, please help me!" She screamed, her eyes wide with fear, arm extended, hoping for me to save her. I stare, one thought rushing through my mind.

_I want to help, but I don't know what to do_


End file.
